Rhode

Island State AmeriCorps

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Program Year 2014-2015

Intent to Apply Deadline: October 9, 2013
Concept Paper Deadline: October 23, 2013



Serve Rhode Island
655 Broad Street, Suite 202
Providence, RI 02907
Phone: 401-331-2298 Fax: 401-331-2273
www.ServeRhodeIsland.org

2014-2015 SRI AmeriCorps State Request for Proposals

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Table of Contents

Topic

Page

About Serve Rhode Island.. 3

Request for Proposals... 3
AmeriCorps Regulations & Grants Provisions.. 4
2014-2015 Grants Process 4
Timeline. 5
Eligible Applicants.. 5
Intent to Apply.. 5
Grant Information Sessions. 6
SRI Focus Area 6
Selection Process & Criteria.. 6

Minimum Program Size... 7

Concept Paper Instructions and Due Date... 8
Concept Paper Components. 8

Appendix Resources (separate documents)
Appendix A Application Facesheet
Appendix B Assurances and Certification
Appendix C.1 - Cost-Reimbursement Budget Summary Worksheets (Fixed Amount or)
Appendix C. 2 Fixed Amount Budget Summary Worksheet
Appendix D Program Design Information Sheet
Appendix E Logic Model Chart

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ABOUT SERVE RHODE ISLAND

Serve Rhode Island is the Rhode Island State Commission for National and Community Service
and is responsible for administering the federally funded AmeriCorps State grants program.
The AmeriCorps State funds are made available through the Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS).

Serve Rhode Island (SRI), formerly the Rhode Island Service Alliance, was established in 1994. In
January 2009 the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island merged with SRI to form a central statewide
organization focused on volunteerism and service. SRI administers national service,
volunteerism and civic engagement through its AmeriCorps State programs, statewide
volunteer initiatives and many days of service (i.e., 9/11 National Day of Service and
Remembrance, Serving Rhode Island Week, National AmeriCorps Week and Martin Luther King
Day of Service).

National Service in Rhode Island
Serve Rhode Island funds, monitors and supports approximately 13 AmeriCorps State programs
through formula and national competitive grants. On average, there are roughly 270-300
AmeriCorps members in service annually through Serve Rhode Island funded programs. In
collaboration with AmeriCorps*VISTA, AmeriCorps National Direct and Senior Corps programs
there are approximately 9,000 individuals who commit a year of service to our states local
communities (AmeriCorps in Your State).

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Serve Rhode Island (SRI) announces the availability of AmeriCorps State funds to be awarded to
new or re-competing AmeriCorps applicants through a state competition for the 2014-2015
grant cycle. SRI employs an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) process beginning with this
announcement, in conjunction with the release of the Corporation for National and Community
Services 2014 AmeriCorps State and National Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and
Application Instructions. SRI solicits grant proposals through this annual RFP and makes
determinations on which proposals will be considered to compete in the national competition
and which proposals will be considered for state formula funding. Any eligible applicant
seeking to apply for AmeriCorps State funds must respond to this RFP and all related deadlines.

SRIs Request for Proposals should be read together with the AmeriCorps State and National FY
2014 NOFO and Application Instructions which can be found at the CNCS website on its Funding
Opportunities page.

NOTE: SRIs RFP is based on draft versions of CNCS materials. Applicants should be advised
that there may be additional changes and SRI will inform applicants of any changes once
materials are in final form.

AmeriCorps State grants support a broad range of local service programs that engage
thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical community needs. Applicants
should respond to at least one of the Focus Areas as outlined in the CNCS Notice of Funding
2014-2015 SRI AmeriCorps State Request for Proposals

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Opportunity, which are:

Disaster Services
Economic Opportunity
Education
Environmental Stewardship

Healthy Futures
Veterans and Military Families
Governor and Mayor Initiative

AMERICORPS REGULATIONS & GRANTS PROVISIONS
Applicants need to familiarize themselves with AmeriCorps programming by visiting:
1. The CNCS website at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/
2. AmeriCorps Grant Provisions: http://www.nationalservice.gov/build-your-
capacity/grants/managing-americorps-grants
3. AmeriCorps Regulations, 45 CFR 2520-2550 at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr.

2014-2015 GRANTS PROCESS
SRI solicits proposals annually to make determinations on which proposals will be considered to
compete in the national competition and which proposals will be considered for formula
funding. SRI utilizes a multi-step process that includes the development of a Concept Paper
and those applicants that are successful will then be invited to submit a full proposal that
responds to the CNCS Application. Those applicants considered for competitive funds will
compete with other applicants nationally and are decided upon by the Corporation for National
and Community Service with notifications anticipated in mid April. Applicants considered for
formula funds compete at the state level with decisions made by SRI in late May. Please refer
to the full Timeline on the following page for all deadlines.

The intent of the concept paper is to allow applicants the opportunity to present their proposed
program, its potential community impact and their organizational capacity to manage an
AmeriCorps Program. A peer review committee and SRI staff will review all concept papers and
SRI Board will make final decisions on which concept papers will be invited to expand their
proposal and develop a full AmeriCorps application. Full proposals will be submitted into the
eGrants system and SRI staff will be available to provide technical assistance. SRI staff and
Board will be reviewing full proposals to ensure compliance with CNCS guidance.

Once CNCS makes its competitive decisions in mid to late April, SRI will then make its formula
decisions in late May by reviewing any applicant that was either not funded at the competitive
level and/or any applicant that was not submitted to the national competition.

Special Considerations:
1. Concept Paper submission does not automatically result in an invitation to submit a full
AmeriCorps application.
2. Invitations to submit a full proposal do not guarantee AmeriCorps funding.
3. Final funding for this grant is contingent upon appropriations from CNCS and from the RI
General Assembly.


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TIMELINE
Concept Paper applications must be received by SRI no later than October 23, 2013, by 4:00
p.m. Applicants must submit the Concept Paper and all related materials in a PDF document
and sent to the following email address RIAmeriCorps2014@serverhodeisland.org



October 3 & 4
Grant Information Sessions

October 9

Intent to Apply Email Notification

October 23

Concept Paper applications due

October 30

Peer Review Sessions

October 31

SRI Executive Committee approval of proposals

November 4

Notifications and Invitations to submit Full Application


November 12 & 14 Technical Assistance Sessions (times TBD)

December 4

Initial application submission to SRI via eGrants

December 9-13
Feedback calls to applicants to applicants

December 16
Final application submission to SRI via eGrants

December 19
Final SRI Board Approval

December 23
Submission to CNCS by SRI

April 18

CNCS Decisions for Competitive grants

Late May

Expected SRI Board decision for Formula grants

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
Public or private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and other community
organizations; institutions of higher education; government entities within states or territories
(e.g., cities, counties); labor organizations; partnerships and consortia; Tribes; and
intermediaries planning to subgrant awarded funds are encouraged to apply.

Organizations that have been convicted of a Federal crime are disqualified from receiving the
assistance described in this Notice. Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an
organization described in Section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue code of 1986, 26 U.S.C.
501 (c)(4), that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to apply.

INTENT TO APPLY
Applicants are required to submit Intent to Apply emails for AmeriCorps funding. Email the
following information to Lauren Kilcoyne at lkilcoyne@ServeRhodeIsland.org by October 9,
2013, by 4:00 p.m.

The Intent to Apply must include the following information:
1. Legal Name of Applicant
2. AmeriCorps Program Name, if different from Legal Name of Applicant
3. Potential number of AmeriCorps members
4. Intended Serve America Act Focus Area
5. Contact Person
6. Contact Information, including address, phone, fax and email

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GRANT INFORMATION SESSIONS

SRI will host two public grant information sessions at the Serve Rhode Island Office, located at
655 Broad St., Providence, RI 02907. These sessions are not mandatory for applicants;
however, registration is required. First time applicants are strongly encouraged to attend.
Please register by phone or email at least 3 business days prior to scheduled training date.

Thursday, October 3, 9:00 10:30 a.m.
Friday, October 4, 1:00-3:30 p.m.


To register contact Lauren Kilcoyne at (401) 331-2298 or lkilcoyne@ServeRhodeIsland.org.
Please specify which session you will attend and include your name, organization, contact
phone number and email, and number of people attending. Please call the SRI office if you
require a reasonable accommodation. NOTE: if you are unable to attend, presentation
materials will be posted to the SRI website

SRI FOCUS AREA
SRI is interested in AmeriCorps applications that provide effective solutions that address local
community needs, offer meaningful AmeriCorps member experiences, demonstrate the ability
to document and evaluate significant community impact and provide the opportunity for
strategic partnership. These areas have been incorporated into the Concept Paper narrative.

SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
The selection process includes the following steps:
1. Determining whether your Concept Paper complies with the application requirements,
such as deadlines and eligibility requirements;
2. Scoring your proposal against the basic selection criteria articulated in AmeriCorps
NOFO; and
3. Ensuring innovation and geographic, demographic, and programmatic diversity across
the AmeriCorps State portfolio.

In evaluating applications for funding, peer reviewers and SRI Staff and Board members assess
overall program design, organizational capability, and budget adequacy. Applicants should not
assume that reviewers are familiar with proposed grant program, even if applicants are re-
competing. The weights assigned by SRI, for its Concept Paper, are below.

In order to maximize the impact of the public investment in national service, CNCS will fund
programs that can demonstrate community impact and solve community problems using an
evidence-based or evidence-informed approach (e.g. performance measure data, quality of
research, theory of change).

The Concept Paper should provide reviewers a clear and compelling need in the community
that is backed up using relevant national, state and local data while describing the AmeriCorps
intervention and roles of AmeriCorps members. Reviewers should be able to envision what
AmeriCorps members will be doing on a daily basis in program delivery and what the overall
goals and outcomes are for the program.

2014-2015 SRI AmeriCorps State Request for Proposals

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Category

SRI Concept Paper Selection Criteria

Percentage Sub-Categories and Weights

Executive Summary
Program Design

5%
70%

Organizational Capability

20%

Budget Adequacy and Cost

Effectiveness

5%

NA
A. Problem/Need
B. AmeriCorps Members as Highly Effective Means to Solve
Community Problems Evidence-Based/Evidence-Informed
and Measurable Community Impact
C. Member Training
D. Member Supervision
F. Commitment to AmeriCorps Identification
A. Organizational Background and Staffing
B. Compliance and Accountability
C. Past Performance For Current Grantees and Former
Grantees Only
D. Continuous Improvement
A. Cost Effectiveness
B. Budget Adequacy

MINIMUM PROGRAM SIZE

Applicants should apply for a minimum of 8 Member Service Years (MSYs) or the equivalent
number of less than full-time members. AmeriCorps programs should be large enough to make
a significant difference in communities; therefore, SRI requires applicants to request a
minimum number of MSYs regardless of whether members serve individually or in teams. To
that end, SRI encourages joint collaborative applications among organizations that have similar
organizational missions, identified program goals and community partner agencies.

CONCEPT PAPER INSTRUCTIONS & DUE DATE
Concept Paper applications must be received by SRI no later than October 23, 2013, by 4:00
p.m. Applicants must submit the Concept Paper and all related materials in a PDF document
and sent to the following email address RIAmeriCorps2014@serverhodeisland.org. Concept
Paper applications received after this date and time will not be accepted.

To be considered as having a full and complete Concept Paper application, the following items
must be included to SRI. More detail is on the following pages.
1. Concept Paper Facesheet reference Appendix A
2. Assurances and Certifications reference Appendix B
3. Executive Summary maximum one-half page in length
4. Concept Paper Narrative maximum of 10 pages, double-spaced with 1 margins,
responding to all components outlined below
5. Budget Summary Worksheet reference Appendix C.1 or C.2
6. Program Design Information Sheet reference Appendix D
7. Logic Model Worksheet reference Appendix E
8. Additional Information - Proof of 501(c)3 non-profit status


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CONCEPT PAPER COMPONENTS

1. SF424 Facesheet Appendix A

2. Signed Assurances and Certification Sheet Appendix B

3. Executive Summary Not to exceed a maximum of half-page in length. Please refer to the
template outlined on page 18 of the 2014 AmeriCorps NOFO

4. Concept Paper Narrative not to exceed a maximum of 10 pages. The narrative should
cover the three-year grant cycle period for which you are requesting funds. The Narrative
includes descriptions of the Program Design and Organizational Capability. Successful
applicants will respond to each of the following sections.



Section I: Rationale and Approach/Program Design (Reference NOFO, pages 18-23)
A. Problem/Need Describe the community needs AmeriCorps members will be
addressing. Provide information about the extent/severity of the need in the
community(ies) where your proposed AmeriCorps members will serve and cite
specific relevant data such as unemployment rate as well as the poverty rate.

B. AmeriCorps Members as Highly Effective Means to Solve Community
Problems Evidence-Based/Evidence-Informed and Measurable Community
Impact In addition to completing the Logic Model worksheet, describe how
the intervention is designed to address the problem described in the previous
section and what evidence there is to support that the intervention will lead to
the outcomes identified in the theory of change. Be able to answer the
question: Why should CNCS invest in this project?

Applicants that selected Tier 1 or Tier 2: CNCS expectation is that at least 30
percent of your MSYs are in the complementary program measures or priority
measures above. If that is not the case, please explain in the narrative why it
was not possible to meet the 30% threshold.

In this section, applicants shall provide a description of the studies and
evaluations conducted that provide evidence that the proposed intervention is
effective for the proposed population and community challenge. This section
shall include specific citations of studies and/or publicly available evaluation
and research reports.
A. Member Training Describe your plan for anticipated training topics and the
timeline for member training. Include Describe how you will ensure that
members and generated volunteers are aware of and are adhering to the rules
regarding prohibited activities.

B. Member Supervision Describe your plan for supervising members and how
the plan ensures that members will receive adequate support and guidance.
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C. Commitment to AmeriCorps Identification - How will the program participants

know they are AmeriCorps members? How will the communities in which they
serve know they are AmeriCorps members? How will the applicants program
ensure that its participants will wear the AmeriCorps logo daily? How will the
applicant ensure participants are prepared to speak about their AmeriCorps
experience to members of the community?

Section II: Organizational Capability

A. Organizational Background and Staffing Describe how the organization has
the experience, staffing and management structure to plan and implement the
proposed program. Explain who will staff the AmeriCorps program and what
their specific role will be and their relevant experience to manage an
AmeriCorps program. Describe your organizations prior experience
administering AmeriCorps grants or other federal funds.

B. Compliance and Accountability Describe how your organization will ensure
full compliance with AmeriCorps rules and regulations at the host agency and
service sites (if applicable). Also describe how your organization plans to
prevent and detect compliance issues in general, in particular monitoring
program and service sites.

C. Past Performance For Current Grantees and Former Grantees Only for
recompeting applicants and formula Grantees) Applicants should specifically
respond to past enrollment and retention rates, and if less than 100% was not
achieved what strategies are in place for improvement. Also describe past
performance in meeting performance measures and program outcomes.
Describe any compliance issues and areas of weakness/risk identified during
the last full year of program operation at your organization, your subgrantees
(if applicable), and service site locations (if applicable). If the applicant, its
subgrantees, and/or service site locations had compliance or areas of
weakness/risk identified, provide an explanation and describe the corrective
action taken and your plan for improvement.

D. Continuous Improvement - Describe the plans for soliciting timely and regular
feedback from internal and external stakeholders to inform continuous
improvement efforts. Describe the plans for using data to inform continuous
improvement.


Section III: Budget Adequacy and Cost Effectiveness
A. Cost Effectiveness - Cost effectiveness will be evaluated by analyzing cost per
MSY in relation to your program design. Having a low cost per member is a
competitive advantage. New applicants that submit with a low cost per MSY
and recompeting applicants that submit with a lower cost per MSY than

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previously funded may receive higher priority for funding. If the applicant
requests above the maximum, it must justify your request. Please note that
such requests are rarely approved.
B. Budget Adequacy - Applicants must fill out the budget and complete the
budget narrative in eGrants and provide the following information in the
application narrative:
Identify the non-CNCS funding and resources necessary to support the
project.
Discuss the adequacy of the budget to support the program design and
objectives.
Indicate the amount of non-CNCS resource commitments (in-kind, and
cash) secured to date and the sources of these commitments.
Describe plans for securing additional resource commitments, potential
sources, and timeline.

5. Budget Summary Worksheet Appendix C.1 or C.2
The proposed budget should be sufficient to allow you to perform the tasks described in
your narrative. Applicants will use the Cost Reimbursement Budget Worksheet or Fixed
Amount Budget Worksheet based on program design.



Please keep in mind the following:
All the amounts you request must be defined for a particular purpose. Do not
include miscellaneous, contingency, or other undefined budget amounts.
Itemize each cost and present the basis for all calculations in the form of an
equation.
Do not include unallowable expenses, e.g., entertainment costs (which include
food and beverage costs) unless they are justified as an essential component of an
activity.
Do not include fractional amounts (cents).

6. Program Design Information Sheet Appendix D

7. Logic Model Worksheet Appendix E

8. Proof of Non-Profit Status

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